United by Blood
by Failhammer
Summary: What if Saya had reached the cargo hold a few minutes earlier? Slight spoilers for episode 32.
1. The Attack

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blood+.**

**I have another story on Fiction Press called "The Vitaris Insurrection". The link to my Fiction Press account is on my profile.**

**Chapter 1 - The Attack**

The attack on Red Shield HQ, while not being the all-out assault that they had been warned of, was still devastating. Their defences had been easily overcome and over a third of their agents lay dead, with more dying by the minute, their weapons ineffective against the onslaught. No-one was sure why Diva herself was here, and with only one Chevalier, but her reason for coming was perfectly clear to Riku. She had come for him.

He had been able to hear her in his mind from the moment she arrived on the ship, almost as though she was calling out to him, like she was playing some twisted game of hide and seek. Even after reading Joel's Diary, he still unsure as to why he could hear her in his mind, but he had a fair idea that it had something to do with the events at the Zoo and something Julia called the 'D-base', which was apparently in his DNA. All he could remember from the Zoo was approaching a girl whom he thought was Saya, then trying to run when she grabbed and bit him, then nothing until he woke up on the ship.

Right now, however, he was concentrating on trying to open the vent he and Kai had found in the cargo bay they were currently in. He was not having much success with the two euro coin Kai had left behind, but was determined to at least try something, so he didn't feel completely useless.

"_If only I'd had more time to develop my powers,"_ he thought, _"We wouldn't be stuck here. I could just tear the grate clean off."_

He had almost removed one of the screws when he sensed someone approaching behind him. He assumed it was Kai, back from his search for better tools. Riku knew he would probably laugh at him for persisting with the coin, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of here, as far away as possible from Diva.

"Laugh all you want Kai, but I don't think I'm brave enough to just sit around and crack jokes with you." he called over his shoulder, "But I'll do my best."

"Dammit, there has to be something in here I can use." Kai said, searching the storeroom's shelves. He was looking for something, anything, he could use to open the vent and escape.

He was about to give up and head back to where Riku was, when something caught his eye on the end of second shelf. It was a large yellow screwdriver.

"_Finally!" _he thought, picking it up, _"Our ticket out of here."_

He had just turned to leave when he saw her. She was slowly advancing through the crates towards Riku, who was still trying to open the vent, oblivious to the danger he was in. Kai froze, dropping the screwdriver and reaching for his gun. He knew it wouldn't kill her, but he hoped it would keep her down long enough for Riku to get to safety.

"RIKU!" he shouted, "LOOK OUT!"

Upon hearing this, Riku turned and realised it wasn't Kai behind him, but Diva.

"Oh shit…"he thought aloud.

Kai fired his gun, hitting Diva in the side and catching her by surprise, sending her toppling to the ground. Kai looked up at him. "Riku!" He called, snapping his brother out of he trance he was in. Riku began to climb down off of the crate and had almost reached the ground, when he was startled by a hand grabbing him around the ankle. Looking down, he saw Diva already standing, her bullet wound healed.

"I've been looking for you." She said.

As she pulled Riku down to the ground, Kai charged into her, knocking her to the side and causing Riku to fall over the back of the crate. Diva grabbed Kai by the back of his shirt on his way past and sank her teeth into his neck. Kai cried out, struggling to break free of her grip, but her hold was too strong and his struggles became weaker and weaker, until he stopped moving altogether. Riku emerged from behind the crate upon hearing his brother's scream and froze when he saw Diva drop Kai's lifeless form at her feet and turn towards him, wiping the blood from her lips.

"He won't bother us anymore." She stated. "Don't be scared. Soon you will be mine." She whispered, still approaching, her eyes turning blue as she came closer.

Riku kept backing away from Diva, until he backed into a crate, frozen with fear. It was just dawning on him what she wanted to do with him. Their faces were almost touching; he could feel her breath on his face, when the door burst open, revealing Saya battling Karl in his chiropteran form. Diva turned, cursing inwardly that she had been interrupted yet again.

Saya had been battling Karl throughout the ship after he had come out of nowhere while she was searching for Kai and Riku, hoping to reach them before Diva did. His appearance meant that Hagi had been subdued, but she was sure he would be alright. She decided to look in a nearby cargo hold to see if Kai and Riku were in there. She moved to open the door, but Karl charged at her, breaking the door down when Saya dived out of the way. Getting up and dusting herself off, she was horrified by what she could see in the hold. Diva was advancing on Riku, who was pressed up against a shipping crate, a look of pure terror on his face. Kai was lying on the ground near them, unconscious and barely breathing. Her entrance distracted Diva, who turned to face the source of the interruption.

"You stay away from him!" Saya warned.

"But Big Sister, we were just getting started." Diva taunted.

Saya couldn't contain herself any longer. Letting out a scream, she raised her sword in front of her and charged at Diva. She ran he sword straight through Diva, but noticed she wasn't crystallising.

"_What the…" _She thought.

"Don't you think you're being a little hasty Saya?" Diva said, looking down at her sister. "You forgot to add your blood."

Looking down at her sword, Saya realised she had, in fact, forgotten to add her blood to the blade. She tried to pull it out and try again, but Diva grabbed her arm and threw her into a nearby crate. While Saya struggled to recover herself, Diva walked back towards Riku. "Karl, take care of Saya for me. Make sure we don't have anymore interruptions."

"My pleasure." Karl replied. He leapt towards Saya, but was knocked aside by a flying cello case. Looking up, Saya saw Hagi descend from the upper level of the cargo hold, distracting Diva in the process and allowing Riku to slip past her. Karl lunged to attack Saya, but Hagi grabbed him by the arm before he could land a strike.

"Saya, are you alright?" Hagi asked, holding Karl back.

"Riku and I are fine, but Kai, he's not." Saya answered, gesturing towards Kai's limp form.

Hagi looked over at where Kai lay. The two had never really gotten along, but Hagi knew that Kai meant something special to Saya, that he had made her happier than Hagi could. Seeing how upset Saya was at his condition angered him enough to crush Karl's arm and throw several daggers at him, one striking him in the face, the others hitting him in the arm as he moved to shield himself from the attack. Hagi readied himself for another attack, but stopped when an explosion overhead brought pieces of the ceiling down between him and Karl.

David and Louis were standing in the doorway, armed with shotgun and grenade launcher, respectively. The two ran into the room, Louis firing another grenade at Diva, which Karl blocked. The explosion brought more of the ceiling down, boxing Karl and Diva in.

"You need to get off the ship." David announced, firing his weapon. "We're going to sink the ship with Diva inside, hurry!" He and Louis continued to fire, allowing Riku, Saya and Hagi, with Kai slung over his shoulder, to exit. The pair followed after they had successfully contained Diva and Karl under the wreckage.

On the helipad, Joel stood waiting behind a railing, looking for any sign that David or the others were coming. David had told him to leave without him if he was not back in time, but Joel was going to stay and wait until the last minute. He was beginning to lose hope, when he saw David leading the others out of a doorway. Upon climbing the stairs, David informed him that Diva had been isolated in the hold, and that now was the time. Riku had just finished helping Hagi to load Kai into the helicopter, when he noticed he had stopped breathing.

"He's not going to get help in time." He said, looking towards her."Saya, you have to give him your blood. It's the only way."

"I can't. I've already stopped your time. I don't think I can do the same thing to Kai." She replied.

"But you can't just let him die, can you?" Riku asked. He was struggling to hold back the tears; the thought of losing his brother was almost too much for him. "Kai's the only brother I have; I don't know what I would do without him. Please save him Saya, our family wouldn't be the same without him." Tears were starting to roll down his cheeks as he finished speaking.

"He won't be the same-"

"I know, but he'll be alive, that's what counts." Riku interrupted."Please, save him before it's too late."

Saya looked at Kai, before cutting her palm with her sword and pouring some blood into her mouth. She leaned closer to him and kissed him, depositing the blood in his mouth. She moved back while Riku, David and Hagi held him down, waiting for the transformation to begin. David turned to the pilot. "We need to leave now!" He shouted, as Kai started to scream and convulse. The helicopter was about to lift off, when they saw Karl fly out of a hole in the deck with Diva on his back. He fired a few shots with his right arm, one narrowly avoiding David's leg. Saya and Hagi jumped out of the helicopter to face them. "We'll have to create a diversion for you, hurry!" She said, looking back at David, a look of concern on his face.

"What are you going to do Saya?" He asked.

"Please, just hurry up and go." She answered, not looking back.

He nodded and turned towards the helicopter. "Alright."

Riku made to follow Saya, but she stopped him before he could get out of the helicopter."Riku, go with them. Kai will need you there with him when he wakes up."

Riku was about to protest, but he knew now was not the time to argue and obeyed. He sat down at the back of the helicopter next to Kai, still unconscious, who had already been secured in a seat by Louis, The helicopter took off, leaving Saya and Hagi standing on the deck facing Diva and Karl, surrounded by flames and smoke from the auto-destruct sequence.

"It looks like they've left you behind, big sister." Diva taunted.

"No, I stayed to defeat you." Saya shot back."I'm going to finish this once and for all."

"I wonder how it will end." Diva thought aloud.

"I'll kill you." Saya said acidly. As she spoke, a series of explosions ripped through the ship, bringing the funnel down and cutting the ship's power supply, plunging it into darkness.

In the helicopter, Riku looked back at Saya as she began what could be her final battle with Diva. When the explosions and smoke blocked his view of them, he could only sith back and hope that Saya would come away from her battle with Diva alright.


	2. The Third Chevalier

Finally; the second chapter is here. Sorry for the lateness; I've had other things, mainly exams, to worry about, and that as well as a couple of cases of writer's block meant that this one is up later than I wanted it. That, and te fact that the document manager was down yesterday (14/6/09, Sydney time) when I tried to upload it the first time.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. On with the story!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blood+.**

**Chapter 2 – The Third Chevalier**

Red Shield was crippled. The recent attack had been a devastating blow to the organisation, with just over a third of its agents dieing on that fateful night. Those that did survive scattered as soon as they reached land, just in case they were still being hunted. Some severed all ties with Red Shield altogether.

Joel had led David and the others to a secret facility in London, where they would be well hidden from Diva and her chevaliers. They had received a few sketchy reports of what might have been chiropteran activity near Oxford, but with Saya and Hagi gone, it was extremely difficult to combat any chiropterans that did surface.

----------

Riku was standing in one of the facility's large storage rooms. He had been practicing in there for the past two days, trying to unlock his abilities. By now he could transform his arms and unfold and retract his wings easily enough, but had not completely mastered flight.

"Today I'm going to do it."He said to himself, unfolding his bat-like wings behind him and preparing to take off. Lifting off of the ground, he made sure to rise slowly and carefully so he didn't end up losing control again and falling on his arse for the umpteenth time. Accelerated healing or not, it still hurt to fall from five metres up and land on your rear end. Riku was hovering in the air several metres off the ground when David entered the room looking for him.

"Riku? Are you in here?" He called, not immediately seeing him in the room.

"Up here!" Riku answered.

"I see you've been practicing." David said, looking up.

"Yeah, seems I've finally got the hang of it." Riku said, descending to the floor. He looked at David, knowing he hadn't come here just to complement his flying ability. "Have you heard from Saya yet?"

"No, we still have not received any word from Saya. We have received no new reports on Diva's activities either." David said. "We can only speculate as to their whereabouts; or whether or not they are alive."

"Saya's not dead." Riku stated. "I can't explain it, but I just have this feeling she isn't." He felt as though it was more than just hope; it felt like something stronger.

"I hope your right, Riku."

David turned to leave, but stopped when Riku spoke again.

"How's Kai? Will he be alright?" He asked. His brother was still unconscious from his encounter with Diva and subsequent transformation into a chevalier.

"There has been no change as of yet, but I'm sure he'll be fine. Just give it time Riku." David turned and walked away down the hall. Riku was left standing in the store room, hoping Kai would pull through and wondering how his older brother would react when he learned he was no longer human, that they were both chevaliers now.

"_I'm sure he'll understand." _He thought, closing the door. _"We did what had to be done."_

----------

Kai's condition had barely changed since their arrival at Red Shield's new HQ a week ago. The doctors attending to him had no idea when, if at all, he would wake up, or what changes he would have gone through as a result of the transformation.

Riku was sitting by his bedside; whenever he wasn't training, he was in here, next to his older brother, waiting for any sign of him awakening.

"_I'll protect you."_

Those words echoed in Riku's thoughts. Kai had said that to him only minutes before Diva found them in the cargo hold. Riku hadn't still awakened his abilities by that stage, leaving him helpless and unable to do anything as he watched Diva suck the life right out of his older brother.

"Come on, wake up Kai." He whispered. "We need you. You're the one who's been holding this family together." Riku sat there for what seemed like hours, waiting for any change in Kai's state, not noticing Louis when he walked in and stood beside him.

"How is he?" He asked.

Riku jumped slightly at his sudden appearance. He looked up at Louis and opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he heard a groan behind him. When he turned around, he saw Kai slowly beginning to open his eyes.

"Kai?" Riku whispered, leaning closer.

Kai looked around, still dazed. His gaze fell upon Riku as his vision came into focus. "Riku, what happened? Where am I?" Kai croaked, not recognising the room he was in.

"You're at Red Shield's new HQ near London. We moved here about a week ago, after the attack on the ship." Riku answered.

Kai raised himself into a sitting position. "So, I've been out for a week, huh?" Kai said, rubbing his head. "Last thing I remember, I was in the hold with you when Diva..." He stopped, a look of shock coming over his face as he remembered what happened. "When Diva bit me."

"Kai, I'm so sorry. By the time I got back up, she had already drained you. If Saya hadn't turned up when she did..."

"Relax, Riku. It's not your fault. I'm just glad you're okay." Kai looked up at his younger brother, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Man, why am I so thirsty? Riku, do you think you could get me a glass of water?

"Yeah, sure thing." Riku looked at Louis, giving him a should-we-tell-him-look. Kai saw the worried expressions on their faces, the small smile leaving his face.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I think it would be best if you told him Riku. I'll go and get Kai his drink." Louis said as he turned to leave the room.

"Kai, you might not like what I have to tell you, but please bear with me." Riku started. He paused, searching for the right way to explain it so he didn't freak Kai out too much. When he determined there was no easy way to tell him, he decided to simply detail the events as they had happened.

"In the hold a week ago, Diva had just finished draining you when I came out from behind the crate. She saw me and started coming towards me again." Riku started. "She was almost upon me when Saya burst in, interrupting Diva before she could do anything. Saya tried to kill her, but had no blood on her sword. Diva flung her into a crate, then Hagi arrived stopping Diva again and stalling them until Louis and David arrived. They covered our escape, trapping Diva and Karl under wreckage in the hold so that the auto-destruct sequence would bring them down who the ship. Unfortunately they escaped from the hold just as we reached the helicopter, right after you stopped breathing." Riku finished the story and looked at Kai, waiting to see how he would react to the news. He just sat there, stunned, trying to process all of what he had just been told.

"So I'm like you and Hagi now." He said softly, still retaining his stunned expression while staring blankly at the wall. "One of Saya's chevaliers." Louis walked back into the room as he finished, carrying two blood packs. Upon observing the situation, he set the blood backs on the table, before turning towards the door and leaving.

"Yes, Kai. I'm sorry, but it was the only way to save you at the time, we were too far away from any medical facilities." Riku said. "You would have died on the way."

Kai turned to face his younger sibling, coming back to reality. "It's okay, Riku, I understand how you must have felt. Back at the Zoo, I thought I was going to lose you; I was willing to do anything to save your life." Kai frowned and his voice took on a more serious tone. "Even if it meant you would never be the same." As he finished, a sudden dizziness hit Kai, almost making him topple backwards, but he caught himself and Riku helped him back up into an upright position, handing him one of the blood packs Louis had left for them.

"Here, you need to drink up to regain your strength." Riku said, popping the cap.

"Ugh. I don't think I could ever drink that stuff." Kai replied with a grimace.

"Trust me, you get used to it." Riku said, opening his own drink.

Kai looked at him, before gazing down at the blood pack in his hand. His initial feelings of mild disgust were soon replaced by desire: a desire for blood. He hesitantly raised the pack to his face, sniffing it, before finally giving in to the urge and taking a swig, letting the crimson liquid flow down his throat. The thing that surprised him the most about the whole experience was how much he actually enjoyed it. He had tasted blood before on one of the many occasions he had accidentally cut himself, but he never remembered it tasting this good. It was like nothing he had ever tasted before, he couldn't remember anytime he had ever consumed something so wonderful. The more he drank, the better he felt; he could practically feel his strength coming back to him.

"See? I told you." Riku laughed, noticing how quickly his brother had drained the package.

"Yeah, it's...different to how I imagined it would be." Kai said, looking at the empty packet in his hand. "Does it normally taste like that?" He asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, it's better when it's fresh." Riku conceded, slightly embarrassed. While he would never take it forcibly unless the circumstances were dire, Riku did enjoy drinking blood straight from the source over the packaged stuff. He was ashamed to admit it, but it just tasted so damn good.

Kai raised an eyebrow at his brother's response. "Really? When did you work this out?"

"The first few times I had packaged blood. I just found it to be...not as good as, well...you know" He answered. Riku's embarrassment at his confession was obvious from his tone and the fact that he wouldn't meet Kai's eyes. An awkward silence filled the room, broken when Kai noticed there was something, rather someone, was missing.

"Riku, where's Saya? I haven't seen her around."

"Huh? Oh, she's not here." Riku replied, finally looking up at Kai.

"Where'd she go?"

"We don't know. She hasn't been seen since the attack." Riku looked straight into his older brother's eyes. "She's not dead, Kai. I can't explain it, but I just know she's not"

"Is the Shield looking for her?" Kai asked.

"We have not found anything yet, but with the Red Shield the way it is, we can only do so much to try and locate Saya." Riku and Kai both turned in the direction of the door to see Joel standing in the doorway. "But rest assured we are doing our utmost to locate her."

"Thank you, Joel." Kai said.

"I assume Riku has told you what happened?" Joel asked, noticing the empty blood packet on Kai's bed.

"Yeah, it was a lot to take in all at once, but I think I'll get used to it."

Joel smiled. "Excellent, if you're feeling up to it, we could use your help in trying to locate Saya."

Kai started to raise himself off of the bed and onto the ground. "I feel up to it; I just want to shower and change first." He made his way over to the bathroom.

"Alright, I'll have Riku drop your clothes by. They have been cleaned since…the incident on the ship." Joel replied.

"Ok, thanks Joel." Kai said before shutting the door.

Joel looked towards Riku and noticed the worried expression on the young boy's face. He walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, making Riku look up. "Don't worry Riku; Kai just needs some time to adjust to recent events." Joel said. "The best thing you can do now is to help him through it."

"I'll do my best, Joel." Riku replied, getting up from the chair. "I'd better go get Kai's clothes for him." Riku walked out of he room, but stopped in the hall when he heard Joel call after him.

"Nankurunaisah." Joel called, before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

"Nankurunaisah." Riku whispered to himself. He turned and walked down the hall to get Kai's clothing for him.


	3. The Return

Sorry for the long wait, I've had other things on my mind over the past few months. I hope to continue with this, it depends on whether I can get any ideas or not.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blood+.**

**Chapter 3 – The Return**

Kai and Riku were standing in one of the Red Shield's storage rooms. Ever since Kai had woken up, Riku had been eager to bring him down here, but was yet to explain why. All he had said was that he wanted to show him something and that it was a surprise.

"Okay Kai, you'll have to close your eyes now or it will ruin the surprise." Riku said.

Kai let out a sigh and closed his eyelids; he just wanted to get this over with and get on with trying to find Saya. "Alright, they're shut."

"Okay, keep them shut until I say."

Kai remained where he was with his eyes closed, then heard a sound like cloth tearing, followed by his brother's voice: "Okay, you can look now."

Kai opened his eyes and noticed Riku was not there. He was confused after he looked around and still couldn't see him. "Where'd you go?" he called.

"Up here!" came the reply.

Kai looked up and was surprised by what he saw. Riku was suspended mid-air being held aloft by two large bat-like wings protruding from his back. Upon closer inspection, Kai noticed the younger chevalier's hands had changed as well; they looked like Haji's chiropteran arm than anything human. Riku descended gracefully and landed on the ground in front of Kai.

"Looks like you've been busy," Kai said.

"Hagi showed me some tricks before he left," Riku replied, smiling. "I didn't have any time to train on the ship, so I started when we came here."

"I'd say you've gone pretty well with it so far," Kai said. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"It just takes practice and concentration. Try to imagine your arm changing and see what happens," Riku said.

Kai looked down at his hand, trying to change its form. He could feel the energy begin to coarse through his veins, building by the second, causing the tips of his fingers to glow a dim red. The more he concentrated, the brighter and hotter his fingers became. A searing heat shot through his arm, followed by a fireball that shot from his hand. It hit the wall and dissipated on impact, leaving a small scorch mark. Kai looked down at his hand, expecting to find it blackened by the fire, and was surprised to find it completely unscathed. The faint red glow coming from his palm was the only unusual feature remaining.

"Okay, so I can shoot fire, lets see what else I can do," he said.

Riku knew what Kai was going to try next, so he wasn't surprised when two wings sprouted from his back. He tested their movements, getting used to how they worked, before attempting to take off. Riku couldn't contain his laughter when he watched Kai fly up a couple of metres, then lose control and fall flat on his back.

"Just shut up and help me up!" Kai said, scowling at his brother. He was attempting to get up, but he was having difficulty getting his balance with two large wings on his back.

"Okay, grab my hand and I'll help you up." Riku walked over and helped Kai to his feet. "Don't worry, I didn't get it on my first try either. Just start slowly and carefully; you'll eventually have it mastered."

"Alright, here goes."Kai steadied himself, having finally regained his balance, and prepared to make a second attempt. He tested his wings, making sure he could control them, then began to lift off the ground. Once he was half way up, he stopped and hovered above the floor.

"Now I just have to get back down without falling," he said with a frown. "Although if I do fall, it's not like I'll do any permanent damage."

Kai made his way down, slowly and carefully, so he didn't end up falling to the ground, touching down next to his brother.

"Well, it seems we can use our abilities, we just need to master them," Riku said. "Although for that, we need more space to practice."

"Yeah, but where are we going to..." Kai stopped when he felt a familiar presence nearby.

"I feel it too," Riku said, looking up. They both ran out the door, almost knocking each other over; they knew only that the presence could only be one person. When they reached the Control Room, their suspicions were confirmed when they saw Saya and Hagi standing in the middle of the room, talking to Joel.

"Saya!" Riku couldn't contain himself, wrapping himself around her.

"It's good to see you too Riku." She looked up and frowned when she saw Kai.

"Hi Saya," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"I'm sorry," she said, tearing up. "I'm sorry for what happened. It's all my fault."

Kai stepped closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. "No, Saya. It's alright; there wasn't anything you could have done." He smiled, "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now."

"But I..."

"Saya, don't beat yourself up about it," Riku chimed in. "We're together again, that's what matters."

"Yeah, we're together." Saya stared at the wall, as though reflecting on her past.

"Saya?"

Joel's voice snapped her out of her daydream, making her remember whole reason for returning.

"Oh, sorry Joel. I was just caught up for a moment," she said, apologetically.

"It's quite alright. Have you been able to find anything on Diva's location" he asked.

"Unfortunately no, Diva and her chevaliers seem to be lying low."

"We haven't had much luck either. All we have found is information on what may be a new Cinq Fleches facility near Sydney, Australia. There have been reports in the area of what we believe may be some form of chiropteran activity." Joel explained. "We leave in two days, now if you'll excuse me." Joel left the room, leaving the chevaliers and queen to themselves.

"Just when I was starting to like the place," Kai mumbled, walking off, followed by Riku. Saya smiled; Kai may have changed physically, but mentally he was the same as back in Okinawa. The Okinawa they would return to when this was all over, when she finished it.

AN: Yeah, it's short and a bit on the crap side, but I'm hoping I can make the next one better.


	4. Down Under

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Blood+.**

**Chapter 4 – Down Under**

"Two weeks. We've been here two weeks and we haven't found any leads on chiropteran activity," Kai said. It was obvious he was frustrated with the whole thing at the moment. They had been searching almost the whole time they had been in Sydney, covertly investigating Cinq Fleches' operations for signs of chiropteran activity. After the attack on the former Red Shield HQ, they could not afford to attract any unnecessary attention, especially if there were in fact chiropterans in the area.

"Calm down Kai; Sydney's a pretty big place," Riku said. "We just need to search the right places."

"That's exactly the problem, we don't know where exactly to look." He sighed and slumped back into his chair. "With the Red Shield the way it is now, we don't exactly have the resources to cover a wide area anyway."

They both turned to face the door when they heard it open, followed by David and Lewis entering. Lewis moved off towards the kitchen, while David was putting his mobile away, having just received a call.

"So," Kai started, "Any news?"

David nodded. "We just received confirmation of chiropteran-related activities in the west, a place called Kingswood. We move tonight."

Kai stood up and walked to the window. "Great, finally we have something to go by. I've been waiting so long for some action."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Kai," David said. "We don't know exactly what we'll find there, only that it's confirmed to be chiropteran-related, possibly D-67."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kai sighed. "I'm just restless."

"I understand, just don't let it get in your way tonight," David said. "You may have to help Saya fight chiropterans."

At the sound of her name, Riku piped up. "Speaking of Saya, where is she, anyway?"

Lewis came out of the kitchen, sandwich in hand. "Out in the city with Hagi; I called her and she said she'll be back soon." He took a bite and swallowed. "She says she'll be ready tonight."

Riku frowned. "I hope so; she's been acting odd since she arrived here, as though she has something on her mind."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Kai said. "I asked her, but she doesn't seem to know what it is."

"Well, she doesn't seem too troubled by it, so hopefully she'll be fine," Riku suggested.

A few hours later, Saya, Hagi, Kai and Riku were crouched in the bushes near their intended target: a seemingly innocent-looking industrial complex near the railway line. Lewis and David were parked further away down the street, monitoring the situation remotely, ready to give the signal to move in; each of the team had been given a small earpiece, so they could remain in contact at all times.

All four earpieces made a clicking sound, followed by David's voice, "This is going to go just as we planned; the security system glitch should last long enough for you to get inside. From there, try and find any lab facilities, sabotage if possible and only engage if absolutely necessary."

Kai pressed the button on his earpiece. "Yeah, we got it. Just say the word."

Silence followed for a few moments, and then David's voice returned. "Alright, it's clear. Go now."

"Right."

Silently the four rose and quickly covered the short distance across the small parking lot towards their entry point: a small loading dock on the side of one of the buildings. After making sure the coast was clear, the team entered, oblivious to the fact that someone had been watching them since they arrived.

The team slipped into the facility, emerging in what appeared to be an ordinary corridor; dull gray walls, linoleum floor, and fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. Saya turned to the other three of the group.

"Ok, from what David told us, the labs should be this way," she said, heading off to her right.

They moved quietly down the corridor, made easier since most of the lights were off as it was after-hours. The place was almost deserted, save for a few security guards, and they found the labs within a few minutes. What the group found inside was not what they had been expecting; there were several people in the large room moving around what appeared to be tanks or vats of some sort. The contents were what most took them by surprise: they appeared to be human.

Kai's eyes widened. "What the hell?!" he whispered. "Are they trying to create chevaliers?"

"Seems like it," Saya said. "We need to get any information we can back to David. Riku, get the camera out."

"Right," he answered. Riku pulled a small pocket camera out of his pocket, switched it on and started recording. Barely two minutes after he had started recording, alarms rang out through the room.

Kai looked up towards the ceiling, eyes wide. "Shit, have we been discovered?"

Saya already had her hand on her sword. "I think so; we need to move. Now."

They back-tracked towards the exit, but were interrupted before they could reach it by armed guards. The team barely made it behind cover before the guards opened fire. Kai crouched down closest to the edge and drew his gun out from his jacket. While he had his new abilities, this wasn't the right time to use them; he would go the conventional route. Kai shot out from his spot and fired several shots, killing the first guard and wounding the other in the shoulder.

"Okay, now!" he shouted to the others. They came out from around the corner and made their way towards the exit.

"What do we do about the vats?!" Kai shouted over the alarms.

"David said to destroy as many as possible." Saya answered.

"Got it." Kai smiled. He decided now was the time to try his new 'fire hand' as he had dubbed it. He let it transform, and then unleashed several fireballs at the various vats and other pieces of equipment. Some missed, but most hit their mark. Glass, fluid, wires and sparks went everywhere, seemingly starting a chain reaction through the lab. They couldn't stop to watch the spectacle; they had to get out.

They were within sight of the lab exit when an emergency to close, threatening to seal them in. Kai saw this and He spotted the manual control switch next to the door and launched a fireball at it, which melted the panel on impact. The door stopped, allowing them enough space to slip under. Gunshots and explosions rang out behind them as they reached it, and they went under the door one-by-one. Saya, Hagi were through, leaving Kai and Riku on the other side. Kai slid under the door and was about to help Riku through, when he heard his brother cry out in pain. Kai turned and his eyes widened when he saw what had happened. Riku was on his knees, clutching his stomach, where several bullets had gone straight through. He should have healed almost instantly, but something was preventing him from doing so. There were no blood stains but Kai could hear an odd cracking sound, which could only mean one thing. Riku had somehow come into contact with Diva's blood and was crystallising.

"Riku!" Kai exclaimed. He tried to make his way to his brother, but was nearly crushed by a falling walkway in the process.

Saya placed her arm on Kai's shoulder. "Kai, we need to go." She said urgently, but gently.

Tears were already starting to flow from Kai's eyes. "I can't just leave him," he sobbed. As he spoke, more of the building collapsed and the flames intensified.

Saya frowned; she didn't want to leave him either, but it was too dangerous to get to him. The lab was falling apart, and the rest of the facility wouldn't be long behind.

"Kai," she said, a little more forcefully. "We need to leave. There's nothing we can do."

Kai sniffed. "Okay." He got up and followed the other two, after taking one last look at his dying little brother. Kai didn't think much of it at the time, but he thought he saw a figure shoot in and pick Riku up before he turned away.

AN: I know, I know. I haven't updated in a while. There have been a few factors as to why I haven't: school (yay! HSC year D:), writer's block, laziness, etc. I think I know where I am heading with this fic now, so I hope to leave a shorter gap between updates that this last one. Maybe I'll even post something that is longer for a change.

PS: (To all Riku fans) Please don't hate me. :P


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